Coupon-Clipping Experts Offer Their Tips

Experienced coupon-clippers can be an intimidating breed. Some seem to make it their full-time job, scouring every ad and newspaper flier within arm's reach, redeeming rebates around the clock, piling their carts sky-high with bulk toilet paper and liquid soap. But you don't have to sacrifice your sanity to save big. Someone who spends as little as 1 hour a week clipping and filing coupons can save 30 to 50 percent on one grocery trip. And just imagine where those savings could be put to use elsewhere in your budget. It can be tricky to learn the ins and outs of finagling deals, but you can do it with a little preparation and strategy.

Back to Basics

You have to know where to look for coupons, and the tried-and-true method of scissors on paper should be your first choice. The Sunday paper and weekly ads from the supermarket are the first places to snip; other print-based coupons abound in women's and general interest magazines, although these are often for snacks and beauty products (still, a win's a win). The yellow pages may seem like burden that belongs in the recycling bin, but toward the back, they are chock-full of coupons, ranging from two-for-one restaurant meal bargains to things as random as free park admission and fitness membership discounts.

Click and Print

Bookmark your favorite store's Web site, which will usually have coupons for current in-store specials or exclusive deals. If you gravitate toward particular brands, check out their web sites for product deals. Often manufacturers will send you coupons upon request. Feel free to take advantage of their generosity.

Customer Loyalty

Stores will do pretty much anything for your business, even if that means giving you 50 percent off your favorite cereal. Customer loyalty card programs often provide you with a card to swipe at checkout that will track your purchase history, providing you with coupons for comparable items and current store deals. Some loyalty programs will even print in-store credit after the receipt for you to use on whatever you'd like. Most programs will send e-mails to shoppers alerting them to one-day sales or will mail coupons directly to their inbox. Don't forget to seek out and use those crayon-shaped coupons from the in-store dispensers. These usually offer deals on nearby groceries.

The Real Nit and Grit

So you're armed with fistfuls of coupons, what now? It's not enough to just hand them to the cashier and hope for a discount miracle. It's time to devise and conquer.

• Organize your coupons by store and category, and circle expiration dates with red marker. Three-ring binders with plastic baseball card slots work well. If you're not organized going into the store, you won't have the time or patience to rifle through an envelope stuffed with clippings.
• Use coupons for items that are already on sale-this can save you as much as 80 to 90 percent off the original selling price.
• Double or even triple your coupon's worth by combining it with another for the same product.
• Plan your family's menu with coupons. If rigatoni noodles and pasta sauce are half off next week, dust off that Italian cookbook.
• Buy sale items in multiples. You may not need 10 tubes of toothpaste right now, but you will eventually. If they're buy-one-get-one free, plus $5 off two, it's a worthy investment for a staple you absolutely can't go without. Try this with nonperishables, too.
• Check your receipt every single time; sometimes there will be deals on the receipt, just underneath the total.

Don't be discouraged if you're only saving a few dollars in the beginning. Once you start feeling your way around the coupon community, shopping trips will take half as long and you'll be saving twice as much.